


Without Compromise

by Mozartsgirl



Series: A Series of Bittersweet but on the Whole Not Awful Events [1]
Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV), A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, F/F, Kissing, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-24 09:36:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14352792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mozartsgirl/pseuds/Mozartsgirl
Summary: On a quiet night in the Baudelaire-Quagmire home, the whole family is absorbed in various projects. Violet and Isadora spend a few moments indulging in each other and dealing with the consequences of the unfortunate events in their lives.





	Without Compromise

If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading something else. As this is only a brief glimpse into the lives of the Baudelaire orphans, there can be no true ending and therefore there can be no happy ending. Furthermore, while there are happy circumstances within the story, these things are tinged with sorrow, pain, and painful sorrows. My name is Ilsa M. Grozt, and it is my responsibility to document these happenings while my fellow volunteer is on the lam.

There is still time to turn back, before this tale brings you a rightful sense of melancholy or a misguided sense of euphoria. You are under no obligation to read my recordings. If you are unprepared for inventions, sharp teeth, panic attacks, bat traps, mentions of terrible villainy, research, couplets, and new recipes for nostalgic dishes, please select another story to read today.

This story begins in a secluded mansion—a word which here means, “house large enough to house five adult orphans, one teenage orphan, one handyman, and an eleven-year-old baticeer who spent an inordinate amount of time writing letters to her surviving maternal uncle”—and not very long ago at all….

The silence in the house was interrupted by a loud, metallic bang which startled Isadora Quagmire enough to make her leave her poetry nook and investigate the source of the sound. Klaus, Duncan, and Quigley were all in the library researching various things. Beatrice was in the kitchen with Sunny and Hector, helping to prepare dinner. Therefore, Isadora surmised, the loud bang had to be Violet’s doing.

“What have you done this time?” she asked, stepping gingerly—a word which here means “carefully, so as not to injure her feet on various gears and springs”--into the laboratory.

Violet sat at the largest inventing table, elbows spread out on top of blueprints, her hair tightly tied in a ribbon. She looked every inch the inventor she was, and it made Isadora’s heart swell figuratively with pride. 

“I was trying to create a special bat trap,” said Violet, “which would automatically photograph the bat without harming them, and then automatically free them after the pictures are taken.”

“For Beatrice?” asked Isadora.

“Her birthday is coming up,” said Violet. She reached up and undid the ribbon in her hair, letting it fall back down again. “I’m having trouble with the locking mechanism. I nearly had it but it keeps mistaking the camera timer for the release timer.”

“And the loud bang I heard, was that part of this invention?” asked Isadora, bringing her hand down to Violet’s shoulder.

“The loud bang was me falling off my chair,” Violet said, turning to place her own hand on Isadora’s. “I was surprised by the flash.”

Isadora grinned. “My lovely Violet saw a light/And down she fell on Friday night.”

__Violet smiled and tried to ignore the flush growing in her cheeks. Isadora’s hand crept closer and closer to Violet’s neck. Soon her fingers tipped Violet’s chin up and she ducked down for a kiss. Their noses bumped a little, but soon enough they forgot about that in favor of each others lips. They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other, until they heard the small cough of a throat being cleared._ _

__“Huevos rancheros,” said Sunny, standing in the doorway with her four sharpest teeth bared in a smile. “A new recipe. Hector is nervous for you to try them.”_ _

__Isadora was flushing now, even as she slid her hand into Violet’s to help her stand. “I think you mean anxious, Sunny. If he was nervous, he probably wouldn’t want us to taste them.”_ _

__“Right,” said Sunny. “Hector is anxious for you to try the new recipe, while I’m anxious for you to try the coconut cake afterward.”_ _

__Violet gave a gentle smile. “I’m sure it will be delicious, Sunny.”_ _

__“Wash your hands,” said Sunny, turning to leave with a wry grin on her face._ _

__“It’s hard to believe she’s almost fourteen,” said Violet. “Soon she’ll be off to culinary school, with Beatrice following on her heels.”_ _

__“That won’t be for years,” said Isadora, “and if you think our Sunny will be accepted to culinary school, you’re mistaken. They will be begging her to _teach _. And then there will be horseradish on every plate in the world...”___ _

____Violet’s face went white. She grabbed Isadora and hugged her tightly. “I keep waking up terrified that you’ll be gone or that we’re still running from Olaf...”_ _ _ _

____“So do I, Violet,” said Isadora, squeezing harder. “We all do. All of us have reasons for nightmares and worries.”_ _ _ _

____Violet stood stock still for a few moments, staring at the floor. Isadora knew the best thing to do in these moments was to stay still as well and keep Violet company. It was true, each of them had reasons for nightmares and worries. Each of them had their own ways to cope, and each of them had various types of panic attacks. Isadora’s particular strategy, if it could be called that, was to frantically doodle eyes in the margins of her commonplace books until someone was able to distract her. If Violet went catatonic once in a while, it was Isadora’s labor of love to wait it out._ _ _ _

____When the trembling subsided, Violet sank into Isadora’s side. Isadora rubbed Violets arm and pressed a kiss to her temple. She wracked her brain to think of something to cheer Violet up. It came to her in rhyme._ _ _ _

_____“If the lock won’t stay, here’s my advice/Put the flash in once, the release in twice.” _____ _ _

______“Calibrate the lock to stay in place until the stimulus is given twice...that’s brilliant,” said Violet, eyes coming up to meet Isadora’s._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I’m no inventor,” said Isadora, “but I’ve picked up a thing or two from my wonderful Violet.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“I love you,” said Violet. “I love you all, but you...”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“I love you, too, Violet,” said Isadora. “Come on. Duncan and Quigley get ravenous during research, and Hector must be having palpitations waiting on us.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Literally?” asked Violet._ _ _ _ _ _

______“No, darling, figuratively,” said Isadora. “In spite of the fainting, his heart is in excellent condition.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______That got a smile from Violet—a real smile—as they walked together out of the laboratory and down the hall to the kitchen. Sunny sat in her chair between Quigley and Klaus as they chattered about their research to her. Beatrice was carefully serving out huevos rancheros in an appealing fashion while Hector placed steaming mugs of Mexican chocolate in front of each plate. Duncan was still writing in his commonplace book, but he turned his eyes up with a smile when he saw his sister. He gave Violet a wink before Beatrice sat next to him._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I was thinking,” said Beatrice, “that we should all watch a movie this afternoon.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“To brush up on the Sebald code?” asked Klaus, for whom the Sebald code was a particular field of interest._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I think she means she would like to watch a movie together as a family,” said Duncan, patting Klaus’s shoulder._ _ _ _ _ _

______Isadora turned to Violet and smiled. “The world is quiet here.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“I prefer the world peaceful,” said Violet._ _ _ _ _ _

______“That too,” said Isadora. “Would someone kindly pass the sugar?”_ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
